You're home
by lostmidtranslation
Summary: George loves Katie, and she's coming home. Will he tell her the truth. It's a bit of a OneShot, T for language.


**DISCLAIMER: JK Rowling created everything you recognise. Except the startled cat. I nearly ran him over on my bike**

**Enjoy!!**

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You're Home.

She giggled as they turned left into the dark alley. He knew the sound of that giggle, the one that she always let slip when he or his brother let her in on a prank. A nervous, irritating giggle.

"Mum'll kill me when she finds out we came home through here…" She said.

"What's there to be worried about?" He said with a grin, "You're with a Weasley, and, stupid, you've got a long thin piece of wood which does magic when you tell it to." She looked at him, confused. "Your wand."

"Silly sod. This is a muggle area. Remember what happened to Harry?"

"Katie wouldn't be like this." He mused aloud. The girl beside him bristled immediately and he swallowed.

"And you mean…" she pulled from his grip and folded her arms childishly.

"Just that… Katie would have her wand in her hand, not saying _'ooh, silly, that's bad.'_" there was a small pause. "She'd want a fight."

"Cos she's just like a boy." Alicia clapped her hands across her mouth as she spoke.

"Excuse me?" He wasn't going to stand for that. He always stuck up for her, especially now she couldn't stand up for herself. Warily, Alicia lowered her hand and attempted to explain.

"Well, you know, she's gone off for a year to nowhere in particular and… doing some ridiculous _building_ work-"

"For a Charity," He said over her, starting to feel more irritated by the second.

"and- and-…" and she tried to take it back. "Well, I mean… she's just- got… tendencies?" She finished weakly.

He frowned, totally unimpressed.

"How can you call her a boy? She's beautiful, such a pretty-" He realised who he was talking to as he said the words. "That is to say, she's nothing like a boy." He breathed back.

"She used to play fight with you guys all the time." Alicia retorted.

"Ange always play-fought with Oliver and Lee."

"But-"

"But what? She wears makeup! She's… always wearing skirts." he used the latter as he'd run out of more coherent arguments. _(For he'd been known to wear a skirt for a bet)_

"She drinks like a fish."

"Fish don't drink. I've only seen her drunk twice." He replied simply, a small smirk forming on his face.

"Look, say what you want, you won't change my mind." Alicia pouted and opened her mouth to retort _again._

"I love her, alright. So _back off_" He roared down the alleyway. A startled cat looked at him, and then hurtled in the opposite direction, terrified by the sudden outburst.

"She's so far away, but you can't let her go." She whispered back to him. Alicia, for a relatively superficial person, was quite insightful at times.

"No… no, we're not… that's why-" He started hurriedly, but she got there before him.

"Why you refuse to move out of that house? Why you keep her picture by your bed? "

"You noticed?" He murmured embarrassedly. They had ground to a halt halfway down the alleyway. "I… I'm really sorry."

"It's no problem." She half smiled. "I don't understand, but I guess I'll have to cope. I take it as soon as she's back… you'll want to be with her?"

He blushed, silent, having never thought it through.

"I-if I could… if she'd have me…" he pouted and folded his arms to mirror hers. "I guess I would. Sorry Lycia. I guess I really am."

--

She threw her bag down on the stairs and called out into the empty house.

"George?" A familiar face appeared at the kitchen door. He smiled widely and half-ran towards her as he realised who she was. "Hey!"

"Alright Kat?" He blushed and offered her a hug. She gratefully accepted it, leaning into his embrace with all the strength she had. "See. I told you the flat wouldn't burn down if you left me on my own." She laughed, loudly, honestly. So different from Alicia. He decided Katie wouldn't know about their little relationship. It was over now, there was no reason for it to affect them.

"Silly bugger!" and she kissed his cheek. "So, how have you been?" Suddenly, she was serious.

"Missed you loads. Crap really. Lonely, having an empty house, you know?"

"Yeah. I guess so. I mean… I missed you too." She blushed and toyed with his hand as she stood beside him, still very close from the hug. "I'm a bit tired… is my bed made up?" She breathed into his ear. "Missed the home comforts, Katie?" he teased. To his surprise, she nodded.

"Yeah." She conceded, still smiling, "Missed everything. 'Specially the people." He laughed and watched her trudge up the stairs. "Is it alright… do you mind if I have a snooze and then come back down?" She yawned tiredly and smiled widely, eyes begging. "I'm just so tired."

"Not a problem. I'll even cook." She laughed louder and the house fell silent again as she disappeared into her bedroom. "I'll be here if you want me." She looked down from the landing at him and grinned. As he turned to go back to the kitchen, he smiled to himself, "Always."

An hour and a half later, he tiptoed into her room, just to look at her again. She had a broad tan, her hair ever so slightly lighter because the sun had bleached it. The freckles she had across her cheeks, similar freckles to his, were darker, more prominent, but as she turned over and blinked her eyes open, he forgot all about her freckles, and all about her tan. Her smile was wide, but tired, and as she rose up on one elbow, beckoned him over to sit on the bed, and grinned, he couldn't help noticing it wasn't the same smile as the others got. None of the guys he'd seen date her had got that coy, happy, at-home smile that he got.

"What's up?" she murmured, her voice tainted by the accent of the country she had spent the last year in.

"I missed you." He murmured back, trying to look in her eyes. "I felt like I'd die without you."

"George… I-What do you mean?"

"I mean I can't live without you." she leaned away from him as he said it.

"You are joking." It was a statement rather than a question.

"No." He said, surprised. "I mean it. I… love you." For a second he thought she would burst out laughing. She was very still for several seconds, only her chest rising and falling as the comment registered, and then her reaction exploded from her lips with the greatest of force.

"Oh! Ohmigosh, you're joking?! I'vewaitedsolong! Oh! George!" And she threw her arms around him. "Oh, sweetheart!"

"K-Katie?" He shook his head, confused. "You mean… you knew?"

"Oh, no, I had no idea," She blurted, "I've kind of… pined for you for a year." She blushed fiercely, her face going from tanned to pink to scarlet in seconds. "Every woman out there… seemed to be in love." George took her hand and leaned over her, pressing her back to the mattress. Her hand flexed up to his cheek and touched him there, noting the difference between her tanned skin and his almost flawless vague tan. "You," She murmured before he brought his lips to hers, "Are flawless."

Unconsciously, he grazed his hand against his ear-hole. She shook her head at him.

"No, George. I don't mean physically." She whispered, "Though… I have seen you in the shower…" She winked at him, "No, your… personality… your… everything… your-you're… flawless to me."

--

**A/N: Oh, dear oh dear oh dear. This was not a good ending. I think possibly I was hyped up on sugar at the time. **

**Please excuse the overreactive naffness which is this OneShot. **

**But DO review! **

**I'd love you to. **

**xx**


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